1. Field of Invention
This invention broadly concerns a truck bed extension which can be readily mounted and detached from a conventional pickup truck bed. More particularly, it is concerned with a truck bed extension which may be coupled to the truck bed and tailgate for increasing the effective length of the truck bed. The extension attaches to the existing tailgate latching hardware without the need for modification.
2. Background of the Invention
Pickup trucks have become a common conveyance for many people in lieu of an automobile. They have the ability to carry cargo and in recent years, many trucks include added passenger seating. In many instances, pickup truck manufacturers wish to avoid increasing either the wheelbase or the overall length of the truck when further seating capacity is added. As a result, the manufacturer often shortens the truck bed of the pickup. Unfortunately, the result is a reduced cargo-carrying capacity. While traditional pickup truck beds have had a length of about 8 feet in order to carry, for example, standard dimensioned lumber and plywood of that length, many current pickup truck bed lengths are reduced to six feet or even four feet. As a consequence, many articles can no longer be successfully transported in the shortened bed.
Several attempts have been made to develop a suitable truck bed extender, and are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,658,033; 5,755,480; 5,816,637 and 5,820,188. However, a problem common to the teachings of each of these designs is their inability to be mounted and readily detached from standard pickup truck bed latching assemblies, and, therefore, may require the truck bed to be modified from its existing structure. This detracts from the use of the truck in its manufactured state when no extension is desired. Furthermore, prior art designs lack the combination of a secure attachment to both the bed and the tailgate, and there is a need for an attachment which can be mounted by one person without the use of tools.
There has thus developed a need for a pickup truck bed extension which can be readily mounted and detached from the bed of a pickup having conventional latching mechanisms. There has further developed a need for a pickup truck bed extension which requires no modification of the truck bed itself, and thus can be used by a pickup truck owner who either lacks the desire or the skills necessary to alter the truck as originally manufactured.
U.S. Ser. No. 09/699,342, of which this is a continuation in part, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,622, of which that application is a continuation in part, address almost all of these needsxe2x80x94the pickup truck bed extension disclosed therein can be readily mounted and detached from the bed of certain pickups having conventional latching mechanisms, without modification of the truck itself or the addition of hardware. However, the pickup truck bed extension of U.S. Ser. No. 09/510,040 is not suitable for use with all pickup trucks. Pickup trucks manufactured by GMC(copyright) and Chevrolet(copyright), for example, have latching mechanisms that will not accept the pickup truck bed extension of U.S. Ser. No. 09/510,040. A need therefore existed for a pickup truck bed extension adapted to be used with pickup trucks having latching mechanisms that are incompatible with the extension shown in U.S. Ser. No. 09/510,040xe2x80x94and in particular an extension that may be used with pickup trucks of the type manufactured by GMC(copyright) and Chevrolet(copyright).
In addition to the extensions of U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,622 and U.S. Ser. No. 09/699,342, there remains a need for improvements in the areas of structural integrity, maximum expansion area, and operation of the gate hinge. With respect to structural integrity, because the sidewalls in the embodiments of each of these inventions are only supported at certain points, rather than a more continuous support, structural integrity is not maximized. With respect to maximizing the area of expansion, the extension gates of these embodiments are hinged at or directly below the end of the open tailgate. These hinge positions were necessary so that the gate would not interfere with the attachment of ramps used to load items into the bed. When a ramp is used, it is undesirable for the extension to bear the weight. Instead the weight should be borne by the more supportive pickup tailgate, requiring the hinge to be positioned exactly at the end of the open tailgate so that the ramp can be brought into contact with the outermost edge of the opened tailgate. This effectively limits the expansion length created by the extension to the length of the open tailgate. With respect to the operation of the gate hinge, when the hinge is position at the end of the open tailgate, it can sometimes interfere with the loading and unloading of items into the truck bed. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an extension that has enhanced structural integrity, is not limited by the length of the open tailgate, and reduces potential interference from either the gate hinge or the gate, while still providing the ability to use ramps to load or unload items.
These and other objects have been met by the truck bed extension of the present invention. That is to say, the truck bed extension hereof can be securely coupled to the existing latching mechanism of a pickup truck bed and tailgate, requires no additional tools, is relatively light in weight and easy to handle, and can be readily mounted and detached without altering the configuration provided by the manufacturer.
The truck bed extension hereof is particularly designed to be mounted on a pickup truck bed having a deck and upright bed walls. The bed walls of the typical pickup include upright end portions at the rear thereof, each end portion mounting opposed, inwardly extending generally horizontal posts. In addition, the tailgate is provided with releasable latches on each side thereof. Thus, in ordinary operation, the tailgate swings on a generally horizontal axis and when upright, the latch mechanisms at each side thereof receive the posts on the bed and hold the tailgate in an upright, closed position. By actuating a handle operatively coupled to the latching mechanisms in the tailgate, the tailgate is released and may be swung downwardly to a generally horizontal orientation, supported by a cable or linkage.
By taking advantage of these standard features, the truck bed extension hereof accomplishes the objects set forth above. The extension includes a pair of laterally spaced, generally upright sidewalls and a transverse gate coupled therebetween. The sidewalls include lower rails which are provided with mating hardware which is positioned and configured for insertion into the latching mechanisms. The mating hardware is positioned on the lower rails so that upright pillars on the sidewalls are adjacent the upright rear portions of the pickup truck bed. U-shaped brackets are positioned on the pillars to receive posts or other hardware mounted on the pickup as standard by the manufacturer. The brackets and the mating hardware effectively lock the truck bed extension in place and resist movement thereof in each of three orthogonal axes. The truck bed extension may be quickly removed simply by actuating the handle on the tailgate of the pickup to release the mating hardware and then lifting the brackets off of the hardware extending inwardly from the bed. The truck bed extension preferably includes a safety support to prevent the extension from falling off of the truck during transit, and the extension may have tubular steel, solid or mesh walls, using the tailgate itself as the floor of the extension.
Another novel aspect of the invention is its improved extension gate hinge arrangement. When this extension gate is positioned on the truck bed with the tailgate in its open, generally horizontal orientation, the sidewalls extend beyond the end of the tailgate. The hinge arrangement is positioned on each side wall adjacent the portion of each lower rail which extends beyond the end of the tailgate. The hinge arrangement includes a retaining member to enable the gate, when unlatched and hanging downwardly in an essentially vertical orientation, to be slid or retracted toward the pickup bed to eliminate possible interference with any ramp or other load bearing device being used to load items into, or unload items from, the bed. Specifically, by sliding or retracting the gate toward the pickup bed, loading ramps or the like can be brought into direct contact with the outermost edge of the opened tailgate to ensure that the tailgate, and not the extension, bears the weight of items being placed into or removed from the truck bed. This arrangement also allows the area of expansion to extend beyond the ultimate length of the open tailgate.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a truck bed extension for mounting to a pickup truck is disclosed. The truck bed extension comprises, in combination, a pair of opposed, substantially upright, longitudinally extending side walls, each side wall including a top having opposed ends thereof, a bottom having opposed ends thereof, a front edge extending between the top and bottom, and a rear edge extending between the top and bottom; a gate including a top having opposed ends thereof, a bottom having opposed ends thereof, and a pair of sides extending therebetween; a mounting member positioned adjacent the front edge of at least one side wall and adapted to removable engage a back end of the pickup truck; a hinge assembly coupled with the bottom of each side wall adjacent the rear edge, the hinge assembly including a retaining member; a pin adjacent each opposed end of the gate bottom and extending outwardly therefrom, wherein each pin has a proximate end and a distal end, wherein the distal end is adapted to be received and engaged by the retaining member to thereby swingably couple the gate between the opposed side walls; and at least one latching assembly positioned adjacent an opposed end of the gate top, and adapted to releasably secure the gate to an adjacent side wall in a closed, essentially upright orientation. The retaining member of the hinge assembly further includes a slide bar portion adapted to allow forward and rearward movement of the pin when the pin is engaged by the retaining member, wherein the hinge assembly allows the gate, when in its open, downwardly oriented position, to be slid or retracted toward the pickup bed. These and other advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and the description which follows.